Examples: Heather and Eve -eliminated due to penalty Jim and Marsha- missed flight connection Debbie and Bianca -got lost Marianna and Julia -helped another team Mark and Bill -penalty Brad and Victoria -missed flight connection Zev and Justin- lost passport Monique and Shawne -struggled at both tasks. Steve and Josh and Pat and Brenda -despite coming in first on the previous leg, they were eliminated the next.

Examples: Heather and Eve -eliminated due to penalty Jim and Marsha- missed flight connection Debbie and Bianca -got lost Marianna and Julia -helped another team Mark and Bill -penalty Brad and Victoria -missed flight connection Zev and Justin- lost passport Monique and Shawne -struggled at both tasks. Steve and Josh and Pat and Brenda -despite coming in first on the previous leg, they were eliminated the next.

Curse the 9th place finish!

Many of my favourites are gone due to the 9th place curse. With the most significant one being Lena and Kristy! How could you forget them...

I wouldn't say that all the 9th place teams had the potential to win.. but i definitely agree that most of the 9th place teams went too early.

Logged

"The Amazing Race shows the best and worst out of you. But if only negative things are shown, then it's probably you. - Jobby"

I would add Wanda & Desiree to your list. They had strong showings on the first two legs. It was the German highway that did them in.

I've also noticed that recently there's been kind of an 8th-place curse too in recent seasons. Rob & Amber, Lorena & Jason, Amanda & Kris, and Joe & Heidi have all fallen victim to that one (but it's less common overall).

Logged

"The authority of example and considerations of character, unlike pudding, are not whipped up in an instant." - Neal A. Maxwell

Out of the list, I think Pat and Brenda & Monique and Shawne were the ones who had the worst deal out of them. With all of them, they were avoidable (reading the clues better, realising that the Andes are not near the ocean ) but Pat and Brenda got done in by an intentionally ambiguous clue (Imagine if they did that today) and Monique & Shawne were killed by physical limitations.

I've also noticed that recently there's been kind of an 8th-place curse too in recent seasons. Rob & Amber, Lorena & Jason, Amanda & Kris, and Joe & Heidi have all fallen victim to that one (but it's less common overall).

Yeah but this is all a coincidence, and some of our faves fall victim to this so called "curse"

How about Amazing Race Asia? Had Sophie picked a more competent teammate or had more trust (sorry I got to say this) I bet her team wouldn't have gotten eliminated. And had Brett taken his girlfriend rock climbing...

Sahil & Prashant did an early version of Kelly & Christy (to find a girl on a swing means to find A GIRL ON A SWING!). Aubrey & Jac were an early version of Maria & Tiffany... hopeless.

Examples: Heather and Eve -eliminated due to penalty Jim and Marsha- missed flight connection Debbie and Bianca -got lost Marianna and Julia -helped another team Mark and Bill -penalty Brad and Victoria -missed flight connection Zev and Justin- lost passport Monique and Shawne -struggled at both tasks. Steve and Josh and Pat and Brenda -despite coming in first on the previous leg, they were eliminated the next.

Curse the 9th place finish!

God, I wouldn't agree that many of these teams had the potential to win, except for the very base fact that all teams have the statistical potential to win.

Pat & Brenda were so not going to be in it, and only started the so well due to the Fast FOrward being available in every leg (minus the finale) yet their first leg showed no evidence that that they excelled at any aspect of this race.

Steve & Josh only did well in two circumstances one was working with a group of two other teams, and taking a Fast Forward, on their own not so much.

Marianne & Julia sorry but this team did exceptionally poorly at nearly every aspect of each leg they were in.

Wanda & Desiree had one solid leg, after that they did poor to worse (and this includes both aspects of a double leg). Fatigue was already hurting this team. No way would they have managed.

Jim & Marsha neve showed on any of their legs any great strides or a level of performances that would indicate they would have faired well.

Heather & Eve started fairly solid but didn't improve, I don't think I could see this team surviving the fatigue. And unlike say Teri & Ian I don't feel either had the drive (love them or hate them Teri & Ian had drive, even when they sucked).

Mark & Bill (I like them, a lot), but do I think this team could take the fatigue of the journey and be competitive??? Well at least their race was a week shorter then earlier season so less killer fatigue to deal with.

Brad & Victoria (I loved this team) and I do think they had the drive and physical ability to handle the fatigue.

Zev & Justin, I honestly don't know. Fatigue and strength were a real problem with this team. How well would they have managed, later... Tasks choices could really, really kill this team (and its another I really liked).

Monique & Shawne felled by the physical nature of tasks, and early never a good sign for how you would handle the stress and fatigue and how that effects you down the line.

Debbie & Bianca did great on one leg, did medicore on the next and fell apart the next. But this is one team that I really think could have recovered, I think they could have been a final three team.

Then we have Lena & Christy another team that did fairly well (nothing great), but got killed on one task. I never pictured this team as final three material for their season, but I did figure top 5.

Its very difficult to judge the racers in the first few episodes, but to me as long as we see a team generally thinking (smart), staying focused and having a solid drive behind them, is what gives me my opinion. And most of the teams don't on this list. I stick by my three. I think if Debbie & Bianca had survived they would have learned from their mistake (in navigation and being so over confident not to double check), I think Brad & Victoria easily had th edrive and the strength they just made a terrible choice in flights (especially at that stage of the race), Lena & Christy, showed promise and a lot of character, but out of the three teams here, they worried me down the road with fatigue, but I think they had a shot.

Y'all thought Mom and I would be 9th place team or first team eliminated

Not true at all. Spoilers helped, though. But even if I hadn't been spoiled I still would've expected you to make it far after your team's strong performance on Leg 1 combined with the strong edit the editors gave you.

Oh yeah, and the pre-race hype the promos gave you as well. Your team, Tammy & Victor, Mel & Mike, and Mark & Michael(?) all got promos and the rest of the teams didn't, I believe. So it was pretty obvious who would go far right from the start.

Logged

"The authority of example and considerations of character, unlike pudding, are not whipped up in an instant." - Neal A. Maxwell

Y'all thought Mom and I would be 9th place team or first team eliminated

Not true at all. Spoilers helped, though. But even if I hadn't been spoiled I still would've expected you to make it far after your team's strong performance on Leg 1 combined with the strong edit the editors gave you.

Oh yeah, and the pre-race hype the promos gave you as well. Your team, Tammy & Victor, Mel & Mike, and Mark & Michael(?) all got promos and the rest of the teams didn't, I believe. So it was pretty obvious who would go far right from the start.

It was Jaime & Cara that got the promo, not Mark & Michael. I remember when all four teams' promo came out, all people said to me, "All of you guys are the Final Four!!!!!!" I was shocked of how it came out that way by leaving other teams out and only showed four teams that were in the Final Six. It was so obvious

I remember the spoiler! Y'all thought I was a woman according to my ankle size from a picture in Thailand!

Any chance you guys still got that picture? I would like to save it and print it and put in my photo album

And about the pictures of teams being spoiled at Bangkok Airport, how come Mom and I weren't in any of it?? That's shame it wasn't shown before the season aired then y'all would thought that Mom and I would have been eliminated earlier!! That would have been a big surprise, haha.